Gedansky said he would seek the death penalty if the facts of the case met the state statute. And, he testified, he also would consider input from the victim or victims’ families, the defense, and the strength and circumstances of aggravating and mitigating factors.

Sedensky offered similar testimony, telling Mullarkey that the state statutes are the guidelines.

By my count, that makes 11 out of the 12 prosecutors testifying that they have discretion in applying the death penalty. The only one who categorically stated that he had no discretion was Waterbury State’s Attorney John Connelly.